Where Satellite Connectivity Makes Sense in the Vehicle

On September 10, Iridium, Deutsche Telekom IoT, and Toyota demonstrated a voice message sent from a Toyota test vehicle over Iridium’s Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite network using a standards-based Narrowband-Internet of Things (NB-IoT) Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN). The vehicle used a Nordic Semiconductor nRF9151 development board and Deutsche Telekom IoT Global Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), while Fraunhofer IIS’s NESC codec compressed the five-word message to 1 Kilobits per Second (Kbps) or less; Toyota did not announce plans for production deployment. The demonstration follows a July test by Viasat and BMW Group that integrated a satellite voice call into the infotainment system of a BMW iX3 using Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Auto 5G Modem-RF Gen 2 platform. Deutsche Telekom has since made Iridium connectivity commercially available to eligible Internet of Things (IoT) customers with compatible NB-IoT devices, initially through supported Nordic Semiconductor modules. Automotive NTN is, therefore, becoming accessible through more familiar cellular hardware and connectivity relationships, although recent vehicle demonstrations have yet to establish how broadly Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) will deploy it in production.

The Toyota demonstration adds to evidence that satellite connectivity can work through standards-based cellular hardware and connectivity relationships, reducing some of the separation between NTN and conventional connected-vehicle systems. As NTN support becomes integrated into automotive modem-Radio Frequency (RF) platforms, the need for dedicated satellite hardware is also declining. The more relevant distinction is what current Narrowband (NB) NTN can actually preserve when terrestrial coverage disappears: small amounts of high-value information such as emergency notification, location, selected vehicle data, short messages, and compressed voice rather than the data-heavy services supported by Terrestrial Networks (TNs).

In passenger vehicles, this makes emergency communication a logical use case, although satellite-capable smartphones already give drivers another way to reach help outside cellular coverage. An embedded vehicle system can add automatic crash activation and vehicle-specific information without relying entirely on an occupant to reach or operate a phone, but there is no reliable measure of how many crashes occur beyond terrestrial coverage to quantify that benefit across an entire passenger fleet.

The proposition is different for remote and adventure-oriented vehicles, or commercial vehicles with operating environments that expose them more regularly to cellular gaps and where losing connectivity can interrupt vehicle monitoring or other operations. As NTN support becomes easier to incorporate into automotive connectivity platforms, the relevant question for OEMs is less whether a vehicle can connect to a satellite than which vehicles and functions gain enough from maintaining that connection to warrant enabling it.

Automotive satellite connectivity should address a defined coverage problem rather than be added simply because the underlying modem supports it. OEMs should assess the NTN at the vehicle program level based on where the vehicle operates, how often terrestrial coverage is likely to disappear, and what the vehicle gains from maintaining a connection.

For Automakers:

• Prioritize emergency and post-crash communication in passenger vehicles. Embedded NTN has a clearer role where the vehicle can automatically report an incident and provide location or vehicle information when terrestrial coverage is unavailable, particularly when an occupant cannot reach or operate a phone.
• Match NTN deployment to vehicle use. Remote and adventure-oriented vehicles are more likely to encounter cellular gaps than vehicles designed primarily for urban and suburban driving. Commercial programs should make the same assessment using actual routes and operations rather than assuming that all connected fleets require satellite redundancy.
• Limit satellite traffic to services that benefit from continuity. Current NB NTN is suited to small, high-value exchanges rather than reproducing the full terrestrial connected car experience. Emergency information, select telemetry, and short communications are more credible applications than infotainment or large software transfers.
• Do not assume that satellite capability requires a standalone consumer subscription. Consumer research shows interest in satellite-enabled safety, but it does not establish willingness to pay a specific recurring price. OEMs should evaluate whether limited NTN functionality is better incorporated into existing safety or connected-service packages, particularly as satellite support becomes more closely integrated with conventional automotive connectivity platforms.
• Separate modem capability from a production NTN implementation. Native satellite support in automotive connectivity hardware can reduce the need for a separate satellite modem, but OEMs still need to account for RF and antenna requirements, vehicle integration, validation, network access, and the functions that will operate over the connection. These requirements should be quantified for the individual vehicle program rather than treated as evidence that NTN is inherently expensive or effectively free.

For Connectivity, Telematics, and Silicon Suppliers:

• Reduce the remaining work required to enable NTN in production vehicles. Native modem support removes part of the integration burden, but OEMs still need validated RF and antenna solutions, network access, and clearly defined service behavior. Connectivity, telematics, and silicon suppliers should make NTN as close as possible to an extension of the existing connectivity architecture rather than a separate vehicle system.

OEMs should also watch how quickly these remaining requirements change over future platform cycles. If NTN becomes inexpensive and routine within automotive connectivity systems, simply having satellite access will provide little differentiation. The more durable question is what the vehicle can still do with that connection when terrestrial coverage disappears.